Ange's Inferno
by Raiza Sunozaki
Summary: When a certain theatre-going witch tips the scales and sends Ange from her limbo in Purgatorio into the darkness of Hell, Ange must follow her brothers footsteps and climb up Mount Purgatory, finding answers and insight on a journey she thought was over.
1. Introduction

Pre-story note: Turns out I'm still obsessing over Umineko. Well, with only 4.5 months until the release of Episode 7, and with it a mountain of much-needed answers, I guess I'm running full-speed and more to get together my theories. Which by the way, may become **very** obvious by the end of this story. So yeah. Since I basically ran out of space in the summary (254 characters used), I'll say it here:

**This story contains SPOILERS from Episode 5 and 6 of the games. **If you've only watched the anime, and unless you're in my boat and don't mind spoilering yourself, click that back button and go find another story. By the way, if you've only watched anime, do more and go find the games instead; they're much better if you actually want to solve any part of Umineko.

Disclaimer: No matter how hard I wish it, I do not own the creative rights to Umineko. That's Ryuukishi-sensei and all the awesome folks at 07th_Expansion. Then again, Umineko would be a lot easier to solve (and therefore, much less fun) and would have a lot more adorable loli like Dlanor if I did.

* * *

Introduction

Ah… it burns. I choked back another cry of pain as I felt another searing hot pain, followed shortly by the feeling of a chunk of me being ripped off. I won't be able to hold on much longer… But, before I go… onii-chan…

"What? I'll promise anything!"

"In a second, I'm going to let go of this hand… It hurt, didn't it? I held it so tightly… sorry… I'm alright… so you don't have to turn around…" Through my blurring vision, I saw the three witches on the other side, watching onii-chan and I calmly. "So in the end… show me the coolest part of you," I could hardly hear Battler telling me to calm down; how he'd help me and I'd be alright. "Onii-chan… rise from your seat," it took all my will to keep holding him, "point at the witch before your eyes, and proclaim that the game will reconvene…"

Losing all that remained of my strength, my hands finally slid away from onii-chan. I fell down, leaving that pile of meat that could hardly be called my body, past the floor of the smoking room, down, deeper, deeper, to a place where all that surrounded me was darkness. And still I fell, down into a sea of sparking lights, beautifully arranged in constellations unknown to me. Here, amongst everything but surrounded by nothing, I felt all the weight of my last days in this world wash over me, burying me in my exhaustion. My eyelids felt so heavy, and within moments they closed.

Ah, maybe this is best. I'm just a retired piece now, aren't I? What's left for me to do? I've done everything I can for onii-chan, I've returned honour to Eva-obaa-san's name, and I've completed my journey. In my world, no one returns from that witch's island. So now that I've completed my mission, it's my turn to join my family, right?

_There are questions left unanswered in your mind, correct? Can you honestly say this is satisfying? The questions you wanted answered most are the ones you have no answer for. What happened to self-satisfaction?_

* * *

"Irregardless, murder is the gravest of sins. To kill is unforgivable. I say Hell."

"Since when has Judgement included self-defence as a sin? It was kill or be killed. Such a talented young girl against a woman of such corruption. It is an easy choice. I vote Heaven."

"More so, can we even determine if it was her who killed them? The scene has been meddled with far too much. I say it was the man she had protecting her. He must have followed her out of concern, and killed the men. I agree with Virtue. Heaven."

"Virtue, as usual, you are not looking at both sides and only choosing the one you like. Are not you supposed to analyse the good qualities of both sides and determine from that? Still, you make a valid point. I will allow you to keep your vote for now."

"Thank you, Father."

"And Innocence, that is useless to argue with. While it is unclear what truly happened there, that also means any theoretical suggestions are useless."

"My apologies, Father. Instead of theorizing, I will use evidence. The inexplicable wounds on the bodies of the fallen men. Later observation concludes that the wounds do resemble gunshot wounds. While the girl had no weapon of defence, it is reasonable that her protector defended her from a hidden location. With the exception of self-defence, she is completely innocent. My choice still stands."

"Very well, all of you are now finished. Three of you chose Heaven, and four of you chose Hell. However, Virtue made a valid point Judgement. Your opinion is based off of shaky reasoning."

"Sorry Father, but I can not come to a different conclusion."

"You have to, else we have a neutral judgement. Can any the other six of you manage to change your opinion?"

"I cannot."

"Same."

"My opinion stays, Father."

"She deserves a reward for her trials. I still say Heaven."

"A tainted person such as her does not deserve a place among her betters. I refuse to change my answer from Hell."

"Haaah… Then we are at an impasse."

"Oh? This seems interesting."

"Lady Aurora!"

"Ah, Lady Aurora, it's been awhile. What brings you to my fine house?"

"Same to you, old man. I'm here to talk with Dlanor. There's something about an old mystery a friend of mine recommended that is puzzling me. Is she here?"

"I'm quite sorry, but she's been called by Miss Bernkastel to participate in that witch's game."

"That game? Heh heh heh… as usual, my disciple manages to cause no end of trouble. Still, for Dlanor to show interest in it, this game must be more interesting that I thought. Well, if she's not here, I will take my leave."

"Oh, Lady Aurora, before you leave, would you mind helping us with something?"

"I suppose so. It has to do with her, correct?"

"Indeed. My troublesome sons can not come to a decision on Heaven or Hell for her."

"She… This girl, she is an Ushiromiya, correct?"

"Yes. The only Ushiromiya who always survives past that fateful weekend, regardless of which game board-kakera, sorry, you look at."

"She seems interesting. Her story?"

"Right here."

"… Heh… interesting… mm… an entertaining story. This story, it doesn't turn out this way in every kakera, does it?"

"It is somewhat similar, but enough changes so that it is a different story each time. But this is the first one where she survived to reach the island, which is likely why Miss Bernkastel was able to bring her into the game."

"Still though, why are you judging her afterlife? It's not like she's dead in her own time."

"Yes, but judging from her actions in past games, she does not have much time left."

"She's an Ushiromiya, isn't she? Don't take her willpower so lightly. Heh heh heh… alright, let's play a game then."

"Ah… you witches, you do enjoy your games."

"Don't play the sighing old man around me; I know you like them as much as me. Here's how it goes. Send her to hell-"

"What!"

"Lady Aurora, it is unreasonable to send her!"

"Virtue is right, she does not deserve it!"

"My sons, calm down. Lady Aurora, I suppose there is a reason for this?"

"You don't believe in her willpower, right? I doubt there's a better test of willpower than Hell. She isn't dead, so it's going to be an interesting journey, both for her and those who watch her. If she can survive, dismiss all thoughts of her death and leave her in my care. If not, return to your silly argument about her fate. I'm sure by then you'll have some better opinion of her character."

"Is there anything at stake between the two of us? All of your suggestions so far concern her."

"You get to prove me wrong if I lose, and the opposite goes for me. Tempting, don't you think, old man? You seemed pretty confident in your predictions earlier."

"Hmm… very well, I accept, Lady Featherline. However, in the interest of protecting the girl from meddlers such as yourself, I must lay down a few rules myself…"

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading. Looking back on this introduction, it turned out pretty nicely, considering I spent from 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM writing it. Chapter 1's rough is done, so if I can wake up at all tomorrow, I'll type it up and have it up pretty quickly. I'm tired now, so I can't think of anything else to say, but one last line of thanks before I go. Thanks to Ryuukishi-sensei and 07th_Expansion for creating this grand mystery that's captivated me for about three-quarters of a year now. I'm a bit late in joining the fun, but I'm burning with determination to solve all the mysteries they've come up with. Hopefully parts of this story will show my theories, and help you form your own theories. Because that's what I think Umineko is all about. Not about hoarding all your insights to yourself and thinking that only you can solve the mysteries. Instead, I think Ryuukishi-sensei was trying to encourage the world (well, mainly Japan, but I like to think that we're special too) to co-operate and work together to solve his mysteries. So if you're enjoying solving these mysteries as well, please take these words to heart and share your theories with others. The AnimeSuki Umineko forums are a great place to do that by the way. Second thanks go out to Witch Hunt, that marvelous group of people who've spent much of their precious time working the Umineko games, putting immense amount of effort in to help us non-Japanese-speaking folks understand these games the best we can. Observant people will notice I basically took Ange's lines word for word from their translation of the game.

Yeah, "one line" of thanks tends to be longer than I think it it.


	2. Chapter 1: River Styx

Pre-story note: Well, it wasn't the next day like I said, but here's the first proper chapter of Ange's Inferno. Yeah. I'll blabber on about the story after.

* * *

Chapter 1: River Styx

Ugh… what is this heat? At least it's bearable, compared to that punishment those witches gave me for revealing myself to onii-chan. I wonder if I was of any help to him. But…where am I? It's so dark… oh wait, right, my eyes are closed. I'm no longer floating… so am I awake on Rokkenjima then? It isn't summer though, so why is it so hot? Ah… my body feels so heavy. I want to open my eyes, but my body isn't responding.

Come on, move. Amakusa, the boat captain, they're waiting for me. I can't keep them waiting. Come on Ange. Open your damn eyes.

After trying to move, it seemed my fingers we the only thing that could. So I started there, twitching my fingers until they unclasped from on top of my chest. Slowly, like they were moving through quicksand, my hands slid from my chest and fell down onto the cold rock beneath me.

My eyes shot open.

Blackness. Sort of like staring up at the night sky, only there were no stars, just darkness. What is this? It's certainly not Rokkenjima. It's more like… the darkness outside Beatrice's tea room. So what, am I still only a retired piece? How cruel. I've done my part, can't they just let me rest?

_You __are __honestly __satisfied __with __this__?_

What else can I do?

_Live__. __There __is __a __world __outside __you __and __your __family__. __Your __friends __are __there __for __you__, __the __world __will __accept __you __if __you __prove __your __determination__. __You __want __answers __as __well__, __correct__? __The __fog __of __mysteries __that __surround __Rokkenjima__, __you __want __to __dispel __it__. __Live __to __find __answers__. __Life __is __about __self__-__satisfaction__, __right__? __So __live__, __no __matter __how __selfish __it __may __be __to __stay __alive__._

"Ah… seriously taking advice from voices in my head." But I couldn't just close my eyes and give up anymore. Something inside of me was burning again, and my willpower and strength came back. Groaning, I put my hands behind me and pushed myself up. My body was still stiff and tired, but with some effort I managed to get up on my feet. The darkness spun around me and I felt like I was going to fall several times, but I kept my focus and eventually my world grew stable.

The first thing I noticed was the only thing which wasn't black. In the distance, about a hundred metres in front of me, was a thick wall of fog. It extended quite a bit in both directions in front of me, before fading off into the darkness. Other than that, all directions I looked in provided an eternal black. Taking a deep breath, I started walking towards the fog. I wasn't sure what it was, but I had a feeling I had to go that way.

It's a good thing I have a habit of watching where my feet are going. Or maybe because my body felt so dead, I couldn't keep my head up. For when I was less then ten metres from the fog, I nearly stepped off the stone ground-and into water. Water so dark and murky, it gave me the feeling that there was no bottom. So it wasn't fog, but mist off the water? I knelt down and touched the water with my hand. Strange, it's cold… I thought water had to be warmer than the air to make mist.

Looking up, I noticed something moving through the mist. It looked like a floating light, dulled to near invisibility. As I watched it, the light got brighter and brighter, and I noticed it was swinging slightly from side to side.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out. As if answering my question, the light stopped getting brighter for a moment, but continued afterwards. Following the light as it emerged from the mist was a small wooden boat, rowed by a tall, cloaked figure. So the light was the boat's lamp? The boat crossed the rest of the water and came to a stop in front of me. Since he was now in front of me, I was able to see the face of the boat's rower. Grey, nearly-white hair fell past his shoulders, which were slouched with age. His face was gaunt, it looked like he didn't consist of anything except skin and bone. His sunken, clouded eyes squinted to look at me.

"You… you are not dead." His voice was raspy and faint. "But… to say you are living…that would also be… incorrect."

"Excuse me?"

"You aren't dead… so I have no business… with you." He started to turn the boat away.

"Hey, wait!" I grabbed the side of the boat. "What do you mean by that? Where am I?"

"…You mean… you do not know yourself?"

"No, I don't."

"This is the… river which separates… the mortal realm… from Hell."

"Hell? So wait, am I dead then?"

"As I said… before. You are not…dead." He turned away again. "So… I have no-" He stopped in mid-sentence and stared off into space, not moving a muscle. After a while he started mumbling in some other language that I didn't understand. Towards the end he started sounding irritated. Finally, he sighed and turned around to look at me again.

"Very well… I will ferry you across."

"Wait, I don't want to go to hell."

"From here, the… only exit is after you have… passed through hell. If you do not… wish to be trapped down here… climb aboard."

I was still hesitant. It wasn't that I was doubtful; this certainly appeared to be the river Styx. And I had seen the endless darkness that surrounded this river. If there was any way out of here, it was beyond this river. But still, no sane human would willingly choose to go to hell!

_You __want __answers__, __right__? __You __want __to __know __what __happened __after __you __were __removed__, __after __your __brother __gained __the __confidence __to __fight __the __witch__. __Then __prove __you __want __them__. __You __survived __twelve __years __of __hell__. __Surely __you __can __survive __a __little __more__._

"The answers I want?" I clenched my fists. All exhaustion vanished from my body. What are you doing, Ange? Why are you stuck here because of your indecisiveness? Onii-chan is fighting his hardest to bring everyone home. You're his sister, aren't you? Don't make light of the Ushiromiya family's courage!

I tightened my grip on the boat, and climbed in.

"Have you decided?"

"Ferry me across." A small glint of light caused me to look down. The Ushiromiya family head ring was still on my finger. "That's right, I'm the head of the Ushiromiya family. Not even Hell can stop the head once they have the determination to overcome it."

"Very well…" The boat pushed away from the shore and out into the river. Once we were in the mist, I quickly lost sight of the shore. My only reassurance in this surreal mist was the creak of the boat and the steady pace of the paddle in the water. The lantern cut into the mist and created eerie shadows that danced around the boat. Even though I was now eighteen, I still couldn't help imagining the shadows as monsters of the darkness. It reminded me of how, when onii-chan was still alive, he'd sometimes come to visit, and occasionally end up staying the night. I'd been having nightmares, and the shadows dancing on my wall weren't helping.

"Hmm? What is Ange? It's the middle of the night."

"Onii-chan… there's shadow monsters in my room! They're going to eat me, I know it!"

"Eh? They're just shadows, aren't-"

"No, they're monsters, demons! They're going to eat me! It's scary, onii-chan!"

"Heh, fine, fine, I'll get rid of those monsters for you. Just wait right here for a moment."

He'd left and come back with no great weapon that could've saved me. I hadn't been able to understand why he'd come back with nothing, but I'd followed him to my room.

"Alright Ange, watch me. I'll defeat those shadow monsters."

"But how? Even dad can't beat them."

"That's because that old bastard's a failure. I've got a special weapon, my beam sword!" And from his pocket he'd drawn-

A pocket flashlight.

"Alright. Here I goooo!!" With his battle cry, he'd thrown open my bedroom doora and charged in, brandishing his flashlight like a sword. Looking back, it was really silly and completely ridiculous, but to my five-year-old self, onii-chan was a hero was really defeating those evil shadows.

After a minute or two of swinging the flashlight around, he'd come out of the room, hair even more messed up than before and breathing heavily. But there had been a big smile on his face when he'd reached down and patted my head.

"There you go Ange. No need to fear shadows like that anymore."

He had been right. From that night on, I was never again scared of shadows.

"You are… awfully quiet." The old boatman spoke up. "Most… people I ferry are terrified of… hell, and don't stop talking… to cover up… their fear. Though, they have every reason… to be scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Oh?"

"If I have to survive Hell to complete my objective, then so be it. Something like Hell won't stop me."

"Quite the determination you have… miss. I suppose… this is the willpower… of humans. It… seems like quite…a few of the humans I've… ferried over recently… share the same willpower."

"Really? I'm surprised there's any people in this world who have willpower equal to that of the Ushiromiya bloodline."

Hmm… I suppose so."

* * *

On the shore where Ange had climbed into the boat, a faint light illuminated the pitch-black world. It was a small butterfly, with wings like a kaleidescope of colours. It lazily flapped its wings, drifting slowly through the darkness. Once it reached the water, it hovered in place. Suddenly, it started beating its wings harder and harder, scattering a rainbow-coloured powder around it. The cloud of powder grew larger and thicker, and eventually it completely obscured the butterfly.

When the cloud finally cleared, the butterfly was no longer there. Instead, a woman, dressed in a fancy kimono of vibrant colours, stood there. She tapped her cane as she looked out across the water, and the grey horns protruding from both sides of her head seemed to cause her no discomfort at all.

"Ushiromiya Ange. Your brother is currently looking for the truths to these mysteries himself as well. It would seem only fair that you have an equal opportunity to find the truth yourself." The woman smiled to herself. "Well, maybe not completely by yourself. After spending twelve years in Hell, you have friends in there. Isn't that right, Virgillia?"

"It seems no amount of hiding my presence can hide me from you, Lady Featherine." Another woman stepped out of the shadows. Her kind face was topped with a fanciful hat, and her simple black dress had a sash draped across it. "Though I'm not sure if it worked on Charon."

"I doubt it. That man is more clever than he lets on. That's why I waited until after he left to arrive. He's not particularly fond of people who meddle, and that's something I'm quite renowned for."

"Why did you come here, Lady Featherine? Surely a noble witch like yourself has some obligations elsewhere."

"Ah, but it's so boring, watching ordinary humans, day after day. At least this witch's game you and your student have been playing is entertaining to watch."

"Then I am glad that we have managed to entertain you," Virgillia said with a polite bow.

"Though that does remind me. What are you doing here, Virgillia? Shouldn't you be continuing your game with my disciple?"

"Well, my adorable student and Battler-kun are struggling right now. I doubt I could be of any help to them, so I…" Virgillia coughed and smiled guiltily. "… snuck off to see how Ange-chan was doing. I remember her dearly from when she visited Rokkenjima as a little girl, and I was very proud of how string-willed and determined she has grown up to be. She truly is her brother's sister."

"Heh heh heh… I must meet this Battler-san in person sometime. He seems like quite the interesting human. For now however, I will make do with observing Ushiromiya Ange from afar. What about you, Virgilia? You came down here to see how she reacts to hell, right?"

Virgillia nodded. "Virgil guided Dante through hell to the top of Mount Purgatory, where the Eternal Lady, Beatrice, awaited him, correct? I told this to Battler-kun when I assumed the name Virgillia. It seems I am finished guiding Dante though. So perhaps, I will reprise my role and guide Ange-chan down the same path her brother is walking right now."

"That sounds like a good idea. Ushiromiya Ange may be experienced with hell, but it is still a dangerous place to be. She will appreciate your guidance."

"I am glad you approve, Lady Featherine."

"As long as this continues to entertain me, I will continue to observe. Don't disappoint me, Virgillia."

Vigillia bowed. "I will do my best then. So, if you excuse me, I should prepare." With a whirlwind of golden butterflies, Virgillia left, leaving the other witch alone on the river bank.

"There is much more to this game that I originally thought. Kings and queens, certain determination, kakera, game boards, the power to create a miracle, and a magic of infinite possibilities. What lies beyond the illusions that lie around Rokkenjima? Perhaps Hell can show us some of the answers. But first, I'll look over them again, to try and find the solutions myself." The witch tapped her cane once more. This time though, it scattered the rainbow-coloured powder that had fallen to the ground and disappeared from view. The powder drifted through the air, eventually obscuring the witch from view once more. After a short moment, a movement within the powder signalled the finish, and a butterfly with brilliantly-coloured wings flew off into the darkness.

* * *

Author's note: Well, hope you like this first chapter. I personally really didn't like the rough I wrote up, so a lot of changes went into the typed-up version, extending it by a good chunk. I like this version a bit more, and hopefully others agree. I've started on writing the second chapter, which currently is very fun to write. I'm more of a fantasy world kind of guy, even if that world is Hell. By the way, I love reviews, so if you've got something to say, feel free to do so.


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